Kiss My App: Bling bliss

So you've decided to bite the bullet and propose to that special someone. Mazaltov! That's the easy decision. Now comes the hardware...um...I mean, hard part. Do you know anything about cut, clarity, colour , carats and, most importantly, cost? There's no app to tell you how much money to spend on an engagement ring for your beloved. There are urban legends – the most common one being that a ring should cost you around two to three months in wages. But actually, this myth originated from a De Beers marketing campaign to increase the amount people were spending on diamonds. Nowadays, the average cost of an engagement ring in Australia is somewhere around $5,000. But what does that get you? Do you take size over quality? Tiffany over Bvlgari? Thank goodness there are some handy apps to get us out of this freaking mess.

Diamond Helper

So you're engaged. But you decided to wait until after he/she/it said yes before shelling out for the bling. But now you're well and truly up the creek without a bejewelled paddle, because you're betrothed incumbent has requested an E-grade, Argyle diamond, in a brilliant cut, in a round setting, minimum grading of VS2 and approximately 1.5 carats. Before you start worrying about the fact that said diamond is going to cost you around, say, $25,000 alone, start worrying about the fact that you have absolutely no idea what that actually means.

This $2.49 app is a really good place to start learning about the different things you have to consider when looking to buy a rock. Whether it's worth $2.49 remains to be seen, but if you want a quick, handy guide to reference while you're browsing, this is a good place to start. It has sections on colour, cut, clarity, carats and a small tips section.

Diamond Glossary

It's time. The day has come. You're wearing your new suit so the guy in the store treats you like a customer not a timewaster. You've checked out diamond helper and you're ready to get this ring-buying business over and done with as quickly as possible so you can get home in time to peel off your suit, take some beers out the fridge and get ready to watch some sport of some kind.

Problem is, you walk into the shop and the sales assistant keeps throwing curve balls at you: everything from alluvial to upper-girdle facet. Um, excueese me?

That's where this $1.19 diamond glossary can come in pretty handy. It has all the technical and even less technical terms you might not know but run into along the way.

Dream Ring

This app is one we were reluctant to include, but if you're really, seriously desperate to avoid being dragged around a shopping centre for three days straight looking at engagement rings, this appears to be your only option to do it with an app instead. When you consider the pain and boredom it might save you, the app's $2.49 price-tag doesn't seem unreasonable.

Basically this is a mini-database of ring designs from various brands, sorted into the categories of classic, modern, vintage and top rated. Get your beloved to peruse these to get an idea of what she/he/it like; then you can cut down where and what you look at in person.

Let's get serious

Well thank goodness for that. Less than a month ago Tiffany launched its new iPhone app. It's free and valuable in several ways.

Tiffany is the holy grail destination for women for engagement rings. This cannot be denied. But the shops themselves are seething and boiling over with crazed bridezillas, high on a potent mix of commitment and estrogen. If you want to avoid the crush, but still consider Tiffany designs, this app can do that for you.

The other thing you can do is use it to establish what your partner-to-be wants, then buy the same design much, much cheaper somewhere else. Just make sure you put it in a Tiffany box or you'll get rumbled.

Please make sure to send lots of app ideas to kissmyapp@businessspectator.com.au so our workload is greatly reduced and take a look at Business Spectator's app at iTunes.